ARTICLES ABOUT PSSA BY DATE - PAGE 4

Statement from PSSA technical advisor on drop in 2012 PSSA scores Statement from Marianne Perie, Pennsylvania Technical Advisory Committee, Regarding the Drop in 2012 PSSA Results There have been several stories appearing in various articles about Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis' comments on the PSSA score drop in which he cited the technical advisory committee. As the person who facilitates the committee, records the discussion, and creates the summary report, I would like to take this time to make some factual corrections.

All four of Salisbury Township School District's schools during the 2011-12 school year met Adequate Yearly Progress requirements as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. All four schools — Salisbury High School, Salisbury Middle School, Harry S. Truman Elementary School and Western Salisbury Elementary School — met or exceeded state performance targets. For last school year, schools were required to have 78 percent of students performing on grade level in math and 81 percent in reading, compared to 67 percent and 72 percent, respectively, last school year.

The state Department of Education has apologized to the Bethlehem Area School District over language in a public statement that gave the appearance district staff had not been cleared of cheating on state reading and math tests. The statement was issued Friday as part of Education Secretary Rom Tomalis' release of 2012 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test score results. In that news release and in public statements, Tomalis claimed test scores fell in more than 600 schools statewide because increased security measures had stopped a "small number of educators" from changing students' test answers to the right answers as they had done from at least the 2008-09 school year.

Juniors at Emmaus High School can get help online while preparing for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Test. The East Penn School District has made available on its website 24 pages of practice sheets for the math portion of the PSSA test. To see PSSA math testing datese and review the practice questions, click here .

By Steve Esack and Eugene Tauber, Of The Morning Call | September 21, 2012

Fewer schools in the Lehigh Valley and across the state hit benchmarks on the math and reading Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests, according to data released Friday. Of the Valley's 134 schools, 66 (or 30 percent fewer) are performing on grade level compared to last year. That closely mirrors statewide numbers, where 31 percent fewer (or 1,478 schools) hit testing targets, which went up under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. But don't blame higher testing targets or education spending cuts for the drop in PSSA test scores among more than 930,000 students, said Pennsylvania Education Secretary Ron Tomalis.

Parkland School Board reviewed a grade-by-grade breakdown of PSSA test scores at Tuesday night's school board meeting. Superintendent Richard Sniscak said the idea of a dissecting PSSA data was raised at a prior board meeting where it was announced that two Parkland schools fell below federal testing benchmarks this year. Ironton Elementary received a warning based on reading scores of special-education students. Parkland High School was placed in School Improvement II, based on math scores from special-education students and reading scores from economically disadvantaged students.

The decades-old PSSA tests are out for Pennsylvania's 11 t h graders this year. The new Keystone exams, which eventually will be tied to student graduation, are in. The rollout of the Keystone exams this year is the first step in a sweeping overhaul of the state's testing system, which aims to raise the standards and stakes for students graduating from high school. But the July announcement of this year's exam plans didn't come without a few surprises. "We were not informed of the plan or timeline until last month," said Northwestern School District Superintendent Mary Anne Wright.

Students in the Nazareth Area School District will soon be able to study at their own pace through a Web-based program designed to keep pace with proposed changes to state educational standards. The school board Monday approved the purchase of a three-year subscription to Study Island, a program geared to cover Grades 2-12. Students can use the program while at school, or from home through an Internet connection. The program allows the district to stay ahead of the curve with respect to possible changes to PA Common Core and Keystone Assessment benchmarks as they come about, Assistant Superintendent Michael Roth said.

Thesis: Does anyone doubt that education is the surest route out of poverty for children living in low income households? Doesn't directing funds to well-managed, high-poverty school districts so that a comprehensive quality education can be provided, in time substantially reducing poverty, make sense? Reality: Pennsylvania residents have every right to view any call for increased spending for public education — no matter how carefully targeted — with a skeptical eye. In the past 10 years, Pennsylvania's spending and taxes related to public education have increased significantly as have other areas, such as health and welfare.

Parkland students will take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment writing tests April 16 through April 20. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 will take the assessment. Students in grades 4, 8, and 11 will take the PSSA science tests from April 23-27. The dates include make-up testing. For more information about PSSA testing, as well as tips and frequently asked questions, visit the website at http://www.parklandsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012PSSALetter.pdf